Driver arrested

Tuz Khurmatu police seize vehicle carrying booze shipments bound for Baghdad

TUZ KHURMATU — Police in Tuz Khurmatu seized a vehicle carrying a quantity of alcoholic beverages Tuesday, officials said.

Hussein Ali, director of the Tuz Khurmatu police, told 964media that officers stopped a Laredo-type vehicle at the Amirli checkpoint after suspecting it was transporting illicit goods. An inspection revealed that the alcohol had been brought in from Erbil and was allegedly being smuggled to Baghdad.

“We seized the vehicle and all the alcoholic beverages inside. The driver was arrested and sent to the district police station for further investigation,” Ali said.

Tuz Khurmatu district, located about 88 kilometers south of Kirkuk and 180 kilometers north of Baghdad, serves as a strategic checkpoint connecting the Kurdistan Region to central Iraq. Local security forces often report intercepting smuggling attempts at various checkpoints.

In January, authorities in Tuz Khurmatu announced the seizure of six tons of unlicensed pharmaceuticals being transported from Erbil to Baghdad. On Dec. 30, 2024, Iraqi security forces intercepted two smuggling operations early in the morning at checkpoints in southern Tuz Khurmatu, seizing large quantities of expired honey and alcoholic beverages.

The smuggling attempt comes amid an intensified crackdown on alcohol vendors in Baghdad. In late December 2024, Baghdad Operations Command shut down six unlicensed alcohol shops in the Al-Jamia neighborhood on the city’s western side, citing violations of tourism authority regulations. The closures are part of ongoing enforcement of a 2016 law that prohibits the import, production, and sale of alcoholic beverages in Iraq—a law that has seen increased enforcement recently, sparking concern among minority communities, especially Christians and Yazidis, who traditionally own many of these businesses.

The security mindset of the authorities will never allow tourism to flourish

The security mindset of the authorities will never allow tourism to flourish

What do you think?